Vacuum cleaner vaporizer



June 16, 1959 w. E. DAVIDSON 2,890,761

VACUUM CLEANER VAPORIZER Filed Oct. 21, 1955' 2 Sheets-Sheet lfive/#01"- W////bm E. Davidson W. E. DAVIDSON VACUUM CLEANER VAPORIZERJune 16, 1959 2,890,761

Filed Oct. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,890,7 61 VACUUM CLEANER VAPORIZER:

William E. Davidson, Upper Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to General ElectricCompany, a corporation of New York 1 Application October 21, 1955,Serial No. 541,896 i Claims. Cl. 18337) My invention relates toapparatus for conditioning flowing air. Particularly, my inventionrelates toa device for-vaporizing a solid which is capable ofsublimation, and more particularly, to one which is adapted to be usedin conjunction with an air-flow passage, such as those usually employedin vacuum cleaners.

The vacuum cleaner art has recognized the value of providing vaporizingattachments for some time. Such attachments, being an adjunct to theprimary function of the basic product, are necessarily subjected toclose scrutiny apropos cost. As a consequence, many of them arediflicult to mount, and inadequate and ineflicient in operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved vaporizer, andparticularly one for a vacuum cleaner, having favorable cost andperformance characteristics.

The object of the invention is accomplished in one form by providing avaporizer having a mounting portion for coupling to an air-flow passage,a tubular portion adapted to house material to be vaporized, and a removable cap.

Other objects and further details of that which I believe to be noveland my invention will be clear from the fol lowing description andclaims taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the improved vaporizer.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the improved vaporizer.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view of the improved vapor izer looking inthe direction of the arrow (A) in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an elevation view of a vacuum cleaner having an improvedvaporizer attached thereto with portions brokenaway and shown in sectionfor clarity.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the improved vaporizer and a portion ofthe vacuum cleaner, showing the coupling between these elements.

. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 through 4, it willbe observed that the improved vaporizer generally comprises a body 10and a removable cap 30. The body '10 generally comprises the mountingportion 14 and the tubular portion 20. Mounting portion 14 comprises asubstantially square, flat plate having a central opening 16 formedtherein. Tubular portion 20 is elongated, tapered and elliptical incross-section (see Fig. 8). Secured to the plate 14 on one side thereofis a ring 18, which is part of the mounting portion. The narrowest endof tubular portion 20 is secured to the ring 18 with their axes at anangle. The ring 18 has a plurality of radially inwardly extending tabs22 formed thereon for the purpose of defining stops in one axialdirection for the perforate member 24, which is inserted into theopening 16 and retained therein by friction. The body 10 may be formedof a resilient plastic material such as polyethylene, and the perforatemember 24 may be a Patented June 16, 1959 2 perforate plate or a wovenwire screen of either a'metal or plastic material.

The free end 26 of the tubular portion 20 has a plurality of outwardlydirected lugs 28 formed thereon. Removably attached to the free end 26is the cap 30. Cap 30 comprises an elliptical tubular portion 32 havinga plurality of openings 34 formed therein, a radially inwardly directedflange 36 formed at one end, and a per forate plate or Woven wire screen38 which is disposed in the cap 30 so as to abut the flange 36.- Member38 may be made of a metal or plastic material and it is forced into thetubular portion 32, which may be made of a metal or plastic material.Alternatively, the entire cap 30 may be made of the same material and,if desired, it may be integral.

The cap 30 is removably secured to the body 10, and when in connectedposition (shown in Figs. 1 through 3) the lugs 28 of the tubular portion20 are received within the openings 34 of the cap 30, thereby lockingthe parts in assembled position. To mount or remove the cap 30 from thebody 10 it is necessary to deform, as by squeezing, the free end 26 ofthe tubular portion 20 so as to move the lugs 28 radially inwardly untilthey clear the portions of the tubular portion 32 that surround theopenings 34; then the cap may be moved axially toward or away from thefree end 26 (depending upon whether mounting or removal of the cap isdesired) and the parts may be connected or separated (depending uponthedirection of movement).

It should be observed that the tubular portion 20 of the body 10 isoriented with relation to. the mounting plate 14 in a predeterminedmanner. In Fig. 3 it will be seen that the center line B of the tubularportion 20 forms an angle of approximately 32 with the major plane C ofthe mounting plate 14 in a plane normal to the plane C in which thecenter line B is disposed. While this precise angle is not critical, ithas been found in practice to be effective generally with the vaporizeris used in any environment and specifically when it is used in anannular filtering chamber of restrictive size. However, it is importantthat the angle be acute in any usage in order to insure maximumoperating efliciency of the vaporizer. When in general use, the mountingplate 14 is normally disposed in a substantially vertical plane incommunication with an air-flow passage, tubular portion 20 pro jectsupwardly with the cap 30 uppermost. With this arrangement, air flowsthrough the passage, upwardly through the tubular portion 20 and out cap30. This disposition of the parts provides for an eifective vaporizer inthat the material to be vaporized in body 10 is automatically fed bygravity to the lower part of the body 10 against the perforate member 24against the flow of the air. This affords self-feeding and maximumvaporization.

When the vaporizer is utilized in a vacuum cleaner, it is particularlyadapted to be utilized in one having an annular filtering chamber.However, it is not a prerequisite to utilization of my invention that itbe utilized in a vacuum cleaner or in such a chamber. Figs. 5, 6 and 7illustrate the vaporizer connected to a vacuum cleaner for usetherewith. It will be observed that when so connected, substantialportions of the vaporizer are disposed in an annular filtering chamber56 of the vacuum cleaner 40, and that the free end 26 of the vaporizerbody is disposed at a higher point than the mounting portion 14 of thevaporizer body. If desired, the entire vaporizer may be disposed in thefiltering chamber; in any event, due to the angular relation of theparts of the vaporizer, the length of the tubular portion 20 may begreater than the radial width of the portion of the surface, (F) and itwill there be seen that the annular filtering chamber 56 is disposedabout a vertical axis; it will also be seen that the vaporizer isadapted to house aquantity of material 42 to bevaporized. This materialmay be an insecticide, deodorant or disinfectant; and-will normally bein the' form of crystals. The vaporizerbody 10' provides a reservoir-57for the material to be vapor ized, and the perforate member 24 retainsthe material in the reservoir. The cap 30 comprises a filler cap whichmay be removed to insert the material into the reservoir 57, and whenreplaced it functions to retain the material within the reservoir andalso to direct .the egress of the air that passes through the vaporizer.

It will be observed further. in Fig. that the mounting plate 14: isreceived within-the coupling structure 44 of the vacuum cleaner. The.details of coupling structure 44 form no specific part'of ,myinvention. An appropriate coupling structure with which my improvedvaporizer may be used is disclosed and claimed in copending application,Serial No.. 538,437, of George H. Bramhall, filed October 4, 1955, andassigned to the assignee of the instant invention. Reference may be hadto that application for the details of the coupling structure, but forthe purposes of understanding of the .instant invention it suffices tostate that the coupling structure 44 has appropriate passages thatcommunicate witha vacuum cleaner air inlet 46 to which a conventional.vacuum cleaner hose (not shown) may be coupled for normal cleaningoperation, and further, thatit is adapted to-releasably support thevaporizer mounting plate 14 between a pair of spring pressed plates 48and 50 (see Fig. 7) when the vaporizer is employed to condition theairpassing through the. cleaner.

It should be observed from Fig. 5 that the vacuum cleaner 40 includes aperforate cylindrical guard 52 which surrounds. a fan and motor unit(not shown) which produces a flow of air through the cleaner. The guard52 has a projecting portion 54 to which the closure 55 may be removablysecured for the purpose of permitting access to the interior of thecleaner-40. Between the guard 52 and the outer casing of the cleaner 40is disposed the referred-to annular filtering chamber 56, in whichsubstantial portions of thevaporizer are disposed.

- When the vacuum cleaner is operated for normal cleaning use, adisposable dirt-collecting bag (not shown) may be coupled to thecoupling structure 44 and disposed in the filtering chamber 56. In orderto have access to the filtering chamber 56, to attach or remove afiltering bag, the closure 55 may be removed in a conventional way. Whenit is desired to condition the air flowing through the vacuumcleaner-40, the closure 55-is removed, a dirt-collecting bag (if therebe'one) is uncoupled from the coupling structure 44, and the vaporizeris coupled to the coupling structure 44 and positioned as.

illustrated in Fig. 5. It shouldbe-noted that due to the disposition ofthe vaporizer parts, i.e., the angular relationship of thetubular-portionltl' tothe mounting.

When the fan and motor unit is actuated'and the parts disposed asillustrated in Fig; 5, the flow of the air from the atmosphere throughthe cleaner is as indicated by the-arrows in Fig. 5, andas follows:

-Air entersinto the inlet 46, passesthrough'the coupling' structure 44,through the perforate member 24 into the reservoir57,-where it passesover the material therein and vaporizes a portion of said' material,upwardly through: the tubular-portion '20 of the vaporizer and throughthe perforate member 38 of the'filler cap'30;the air is then conditionedandit enters thefiltering chamb'er 56, 'passes through theperforateguard' 52, the motor and fan unit, -and out appropriate discharge meansin thevacuum 'cleaner: The arrows emerging from the vacuum cleaner inFig. 5 are schematic representations of the conditioned air leaving thecleaner. It is fundamental that if desired the conditioned air may bedischarged in a concentrated stream, known in the art as blowing. Themeans for accomplishing such blowing forms no specific part of myinvention.

My improved vaporizer in practice has proved to be highly eifective inthat it has good capacity for holding material to be vaporized andoperates efficiently. It. is particularly well adapted for use in vacuumcleaners having annular filtering chambers, though not limited thereto,because of its unique construction, whereas it is difficult to use knownVaporizers with this type of filtering chamber. Although the vaporizeris illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 with its tubular portion 20projecting upwardly, it should be realized that if it is desired,portion 20 may project horizontally or downwardly; however, thepreferred. orientation is illustrated. Becauseof its ellipticalcross-section, the tubular portion.20 of the vaporizer affords a handygrip for the fingers when either coupling or. uncoupling the vaporizerto the coupling structure:44-in a vacuum cleaner. The vaporizer may beused internally of a vacuum cleaner, and thereby circulate'theconditioned airin the'cleaner itself, which is highlydesirable in someapplications. As was mentioned, the entire vaporizer may be made ofsuitable plastic material, however, itis only necessarythat the free endof the tubular portion 20.;of the vaporizer body 10 be made ofmappropriate resilient material, such as polyethylene, soasto.

type.;of a'vacuumcleaner having an air-flow passage,

whether it be an inlet or outlet; in fact, any-air-flow passage having acoupling structure to which the mountingportionof the vaporizer may becoupled. It is highly desirable, however, regardless of the type. ofair-flow passage or vacuum cleaner with which the vaporizer is.utilized,: for the flat mounting plate of the vaporizerwto besubstantially disposed in a vertical plane and to have themtubularportion 20 extending upwardly at an acute angle" with the filler cap atits uppermost point. .The mentioned angle of 32 has been found inpractice to be. effective, but not critical.

As. will be evident from the foregoing, certainaspects of my-inventionare not limited to. the particular .details of construction of theexample illustrated, andl contemplate that various andothermodifications will :occur to. those skilled in the art. It is,therefore,'myintention that the appended claims will cover suchmodifications andv applications as do. not depart from the truespirittubular portion extending away from said mounting por-' tion'adapted/tohouse material to be vaporized.

'2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said tubular portion extendsaway from said mounting portion at'an acute angle.

3. 'A'device as defined in claim 1 wherein said filtering chamber isannular. and has a vertical axis, the length of said tubular portion isgreater than the radial width' of the portion of said filtering chamberin which the vaporizer is located, and said tubular portion extends awayfrom said mounting portion at an acute angle.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said air-flow passage is thevacuum cleaner air inlet and said coupling means is adapted to support adisposable dirt bag or said vaporizer at the option of the user.

5. A vaporizer comprising a body and a removable cap, said body having aflat mounting plate, an opening in said plate, a perforate member insaid opening, a tapered, elliptical tube secured at its narrow end tosaid plate in communication with said opening, the center line of saidtube forming an angle of 32 with the plane of said plate in a planenormal to the plane of said plate and in which said cent-er line isdisposed, a plurality of lugs formed near the free end of said tube,said cap having a perforate insert and a plurality of openings, saidopening adapted to receive said lugs when said cap is 5 mounted on saidfree end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS533,854 Loeb Feb. 5, 1895 10 2,555,199 Meyerhoefer May 29, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS 415,405 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1934

